For The Gift Of Giving
by Lady Liz
Summary: A Stargate Valentines Day Special Featuring Daniel Written as an enterance to a V-Day contest


For the Gift of Giving  
  
A Stargate SG-1 Holiday Special  
  
By Liz  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Daniel Jackson, Jack O'Neill, or Teal'c and am in now way affiliated with Stargate SG-1 it's producers productions or subsidiaries.   
  
I do however own the Character of Liz and am in now way looking to profit from this story.  
  
Authors Note: I would just like to add that though the character of Liz may have my name, but is not, I repeat, IS NOT ME. I was just lacking when it came to creative name giving that night, and mine seemed as good as any.  
  
Also, much thanks to Chrissy for asking the question that gave me the idea for this story.  
  
"Another Valentines Day come and gone, and once again, I'm alone."  
  
Dr. Daniel Jackson gingerly stepped into the doorway of his apartment muttering to himself. It had been a REALLY long day, and an even longer night. With a sigh he dropped his keys on the table and started scooping coffee grounds unsteadily into his maker. His hands were shaking badly and most of the grounds ended up on the floor.  
  
"Damn!" he said realizing with a start that he was kind of drunk.  
  
"That is the LAST time I let Jack talk me into an anti-celebration celebration" he said to himself. He was just getting home from a Boys night out at the local bar where he had joined Jack and Teal'c for an after work drink, which turned out to be a bit more then one and he was a little woozy. Not normally a drinker he was pretty sure he hadn't even come close to the consumption level of Jack as far as the drinks went, but he'd had enough to give him double vision and quiet a headache. Now if he could just get some caffeine into him...  
  
He sighed again, it was no use, he was in no shape to run any kind of machinery, not even a coffee maker.  
  
with unsteady steps he made his way into the bedroom and sat down, turning on the little bedside lamp.  
  
He bent down to take off his shoes, but quickly righted himself, trying desperately to quiet the rushing of his head I guess I'm sleeping boots on tonight he thought laying slowly back onto his bed. When properly in a lying position he reached over and picked up a picture frame sitting on the night stand. With a small smile he traced with his finger the lines of her face. He missed Shau'ri so much every day, but special little holidays like Valentines day were so very hard for him now. It was days like this that commemorated the power of love that he felt most keenly her absence, and no amount of brooding, false gaiety or as in tonight's case alcohol could make that pain go away. He remembered well that year he'd spent with her on Abdyos, and how they had spent that Valentines day.   
  
!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!  
  
Shau'ri was always so curious about his customs. He'd gone as all out as he possibly could that year for every major holiday he normally celebrated, but Valentines day had been especially sweet for him. Shau'ri hadn't understood why they had a special day to celebrate love, and when he'd tried to explain the concept she'd just laughed.  
  
"If a wife is good to her husband, and he finds joy in her, then should not every day be Valentines day?" she'd asked and he'd been taken aback once again by her sweet and innocent way of seeing right to the heart of the matter.  
  
"Do I not show you I love you all day long?"  
  
With that he'd given up and simply presented her with the desert blooms he'd been cultivating in secret for months. Her beautiful face lit up with the simple joy of being given a gift and Daniel had once again said a prayer of thanks for allowing her to be in his life. She'd turned to him sadly then.  
  
"I have nothing of value to offer you in return my husband" She'd said, her eyes downcast and it had been Daniel's turn to laugh.  
  
"Here" he'd said taking her hand in his, feeling the warmness of her grasp.  
  
"Just being here with you, it's the best present I could ever receive"  
  
!~!~!~!~!~!~!  
  
Daniel closed his eyes tightly, willing himself to remember the feel of her fingers in his, the smell of her long absintine locks, The lilting sound of her accented voice as she told him she loved him, but he couldn't. He could remember the things they'd said and done, but the sensations were beginning to elude him now, and that terrified him. What would happen when he could no longer remember?  
  
"Dude, like that will ever happen!"  
  
Daniel jumped up in bed, his eyes popping open at the sound of the voice.   
  
"What the?"  
  
"Yea, that's pretty much what I'm thinkin"  
  
A young woman stood just inside his bedroom doorway, leaning against the frame. She had her arms crossed over her chest and was regarding him with slight annoyance.  
  
"Who are you and how did you get into my place?"  
  
The girl grinned.  
  
"I'm Liz and as to how I got here, well I haven't got the slightest idea so it's a pretty good question."  
  
Liz fell silent then and they took a moment to study each other.  
  
Daniel was struck by the sense of familiarity exuding itself from her petite frame, and what was more astonishing was the fact that she'd just popped out of thin air, and he didn't' feel the slightest bit alarmed, in fact his muscles began to relax, as if he'd been expecting her.   
  
Liz was a pretty girl with short red hair that fell about her chin in little Ferrah Fawcet wings. She was a tiny thing, barely five feet he guessed, with big green eyes and a wide dimpled smile. She wore blue flannel pajama bottoms, furry feet and a tee-shirt which read "Linguists: Do it with the tounge"  
  
"Is this some kind of dream?"  
  
Liz raised an eyebrow and ventured a bit closer to the bed.  
  
"Well, seeing as though I just appeared in your doorway with no clue how I got there, I'm guessing yea, this a dream."  
  
Daniel repositioned himself on the bed, resting his back against the headboard and looked up at her speculatively.   
  
"So why are you here?"  
  
"Not a clue"  
  
"Do we know each other? Because I feel...a kind of recognition between us."  
  
Liz smiled then.  
  
"Yea, I know what you mean, we kind of do know each other, in a roundabout sort of way."  
  
"How?"  
  
"I can't really explain it, let's just say,"  
  
She paused as if choosing her words carefully  
  
"That I'm just someone who has been greatly moved by your gracious figure." An impishness crept into her smile.  
  
"Ok so now I know I'm dreaming because I don't' talk like that. 'your gracious figure'?"  
  
Daniel had to laugh.  
  
"Well you must be here for a reason."  
  
"Well it's Valentines day right? I guess I'm-"  
  
She stopped mid sentence, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Daniel looked on curiously as she stared at herself in seeming disbelief.  
  
"...Liz...?"  
  
"Sweet!" she said, more to herself then to Daniel. After a time she caught on to the fact that Daniel was staring at her and came out of her seeming trace with a start.  
  
"Sorry," She said coming to sit on the bed.  
  
"It's just that I don't look like anything like this for real." She sat up strait at Daniels feet, almost proudly.  
  
"Dream me sure is cute hu?"  
  
Daniel nodded absently.  
  
"Uh..sure...you were saying?"  
  
"Oh right" Liz said positioning herself so she was sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing Daniel.  
  
"Near as I can figure, it's Valentines Day right? So I must be here to give you a gift."  
  
"You're here to give me a gift? What kind of gift?"  
  
"Not sure"  
  
Daniel was beginning to grow impatient with the bubbly girl at the end of his bed.  
  
"You don't know?" He sighed.  
  
"I was in the middle of some quality reminiscing when you showed up." he said and Liz laughed out loud.  
  
"reminiscing? Please! that was brooding if I ever saw it. Feeling sorry for yourself more like." She said firmly.  
  
"So? You know I think I've got reason to feel sorry for myself. You don't know me, how can you dismiss my feelings like you do? You don't have a clue."  
  
Liz heaved a labored sigh and rolled her eyes.  
  
"A little over seven years ago you lost your wife to a race of Aliens knows as the Goau'ld. Because it was you who deciphered the means by which to control the alien device known as the Stargate which lead you to Shau'ri in the first place, you feel a tremendous amount of guilt because it was you who uncovered the Abdyos gate from which Apophis was able to spirit her away. You've never gotten over losing her. About a year and a half ago you died and were ascended, but because you couldn't keep out of human affaires you were cast out, and now your trying to find the means to destroy this Goau'ld named Anubis who happens to be a total badass. Does that about cover the basics?"  
  
Daniel opened his eyes wide.  
  
"How did you know that?"  
  
"I pretty much know everything about you." She said casually, as if regurgitating the last seven years of his life was no big thing.  
  
"How?"  
  
She paused thoughtfully.  
  
"Lets just say I've been watching you for a few years."  
  
Daniel decided not push the fact that she was being deliberately vague, he was sure she had her reasons.  
  
"I wasn't brooding."  
  
"You SO were, and I can't for the life of me understand why. I mean, you've the job of a lifetime working with the SGC, you've got a great core group of friends that would pretty much do anything for you. You're way hot, you get to go all over the galaxy and meet new cultures-"  
  
"Excuse me?" Daniel interrupted her good things rant.  
  
"I'm hot?"  
  
For the first time Liz looked flustered and Daniel was amused at seeing her squirm.  
  
"Yea." She stammered, her face reddening.  
  
"Really?"  
  
She gave him a flat unfriendly stare.  
  
"Yes ok? You're of the hotness! And not just that, you're the best kind, a hot guy who doesn't even realize he's hot. I wouldn't be surprised if women made with the swooning every time you walk by, your so like adonis with glasses?! And you're smart to, such a nifty added bonus, the brain really is the sexiest organ you know. You're selfless and caring, you've got a wicket sense of humor and your totally dependable in a clinch" Liz said trailing off breathless. She sucked in a big gust of air and then looked at him levelly.  
  
"Dude, you're smokin...just deal with it."  
  
Daniel didn't know what to say, no one had ever told him such things before. He felt his face redden in turn and it was Liz's turn to be amused.  
  
"You know, you're not so bad yourself." Liz's whole face lit up with pleasure at his remark and she unleashed her dimples.  
  
"I know right? It's been way established that dream me is totally cute!"  
  
Daniel and Liz looked at each other gravely and then burst out laughing in unison.  
  
Daniel laughed long and hard that the silliness of it all, and when he had run out of breath and his sides hurt, he realized he didn't feel quiet so down as he had before, It was nice to have someone to talk to, one who thought highly of him, even if she WAS just a figment of his imagination.  
  
"Thanks" he said when he could speak again and Liz nodded.  
  
"No problem."  
  
Daniel looked at the picture of Shau'ri at his side and then at Liz.  
  
"Maybe your right."  
  
"Daniel" she said softly,  
  
"You have every right to mourn. You've lost someone you love. I get that. You feel responsible. I get that too. All I'm saying is... Yes that last few years have been painful without her. But have they been bad?"  
  
Daniel looked at the redheaded girl sitting cross-legged on his bed and was amazed at how she saw right into him.   
  
"No, not all bad." Liz smiled.  
  
"I know you regret what happened to Shau'ri, but you can't continue to feel guilty for all that is good in your life. You are leading the life you're supposed to lead, don't' be afraid to be happy again." Liz's eyes were tearing up and Daniel could feel the compassion radiating from her very being. This connection they had...he was suddenly glad for it.  
  
"She'll always be a part of your life you know" Liz said.  
  
"But this" she gestured to the room around her  
  
"this is part of your life too."  
  
Daniel looked at his hands.  
  
"I know."  
  
"So what are you afraid of?"  
  
Daniel raised his head.  
  
"That I'll forget her. Forget how she made me feel. there are things even now...they're slipping away from me."  
  
Liz was quiet for a moment. And then slowly with an unsure movement she reached out and patted his hand.  
  
"Then tell me about her."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Tell me about her. How she acted, how she made you feel," Liz smiled.  
  
"Tell me everything about you."  
  
"I thought you already knew everything."  
  
"I do, but tell me anyway. From your perceptive. Share with me your memories."  
  
Daniel looked at her silently. Liz was staring over at him, so earnest, so pure, and he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to talk. He wanted to unburden his heart, share all the joy, all the pain that his life had brought him. He took a deep breath.  
  
"Ok" he said his voice barely a whisper.  
  
"This particular adventure started on an ordinary day. I was giving a lecture to a room that was fast becoming empty....."  
  
It seemed as if an eternity had passed before Daniel finally trailed off into silence. He felt utterly spent, yet incredibly light, like his weight was no more then that of a feather. Liz sat rooted in her spot spellbound by his story. After a long pause she found her voice.  
  
"That was...amazing Daniel" she said dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve.  
  
"Thanks" he said and sat back against the headboard again. His thoughts returned to Shau'ri for a moment and suddenly he felt it, or rather he remembered feeling it.   
  
"Liz?" Liz just smiled.  
  
"I can remember now, the sensations, I feel them again. Why?"  
  
"Because you shared your story with me. Now I too have your memories, and they will strengthen your own."  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's because you talked Daniel. Keep on talking! To every person you meet, every day for the rest of your life. Never pass up the opportunity to tell your story" She said softly.  
  
"Because as long as someone somewhere remembers, your memories will never die."  
  
Daniel didn't know quiet what to say, so he didn't say anything. He rose to his feet, pulled Liz to hers and then hugged her. Liz leaned into his arms smiling to himself.  
  
"Thank you." he whispered when he was finally able to find his voice. The parted but Liz held onto his hands, trying to put to memory the warmth of his fingers. Suddenly within the depths of his mind Daniel felt a soft kind of sadness, and he let go of Liz's hands.  
  
"You have to go now, don't you?"  
  
Liz gave a tiny sniffle but smiled.  
  
"I think so."  
  
She turned then and started to go, but Daniel placed his hand on her arm.   
  
"Wait." She turned back to him.  
  
"I have nothing of value to offer you in return." He said and Liz's face broke into that sunny grin.  
  
"Just being here with you, it's the best present I could ever receive"  
  
And then she was gone, and it was morning. Daniel raised himself into a sitting position on his bed. He looked at the picture of Shau'ri next to him, and then to the sunlight streaming through the bedroom curtains and smiled.  
  
"Happy Valentines Day"  
  
Liz turned over and snuggled deeper into her covers, a smile creeping over her sleeping face as she breathed out.  
  
"Happy Valentines Day" 


End file.
